Sept. 15--When the Bears switched Kyle Long to right tackle the week of the season opener, it signaled a high level of concern within the organization that there were problems on the offensive line.
Switching Long is a long-term move to shore up the right side of the line but did nothing to assuage concerns about the durability of left tackle Jermon Bushrod, who is dealing with an ongoing back issue. But for falling into this starting five with Long at right tackle and Vladimir Ducasse at right guard the week of the game, the Bears did well.
Long knows he has a long way to go to settle in at his new position and Ducasse was a little rough at times with two false starts, but this was a solid effort for the line all the way around. Center Will Montgomery did a nice job against Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji, and running back Matt Forte found holes on both sides of the line in rushing for 141 yards on 24 carries (5.9 average).
The Packers blitzed on 23 of Jay Cutler's 41 dropbacks and while he was 0-for-4 on the four six-man pressures, Cutler completed 9 of 18 passes for 119 yards and had a 12-yard gain scrambling against five-man pressures. Both sacks came against four-man rushes and Cutler should have thrown the ball away to avoid the first. Against a Packers front that was often walking a safety down into the box to defend against the run, it was a strong effort for the line.
Offensive line. Grade: 8.
Quarterback
Grade: 5
Like offensive coordinator Adam Gase has said all summer, Cutler looked calm and in control and the Bears showed a lot of looks while mixing in some no-huddle to keep the Packers on their heels. The interception to Clay Matthews in the fourth quarter was a killer, and while it was a nice play by Matthews, Cutler should have spotted him. In the third quarter, he missed a well-covered Forte on a deep fade against Damarious Randall when tight end Martellus Bennett was running open down the middle of the field. He badly overthrew Eddie Royal on the second series in the first quarter when his front-side mechanics broke down.
Running backs
Grade: 9
Forte scored after dropping what would have been a touchdown reception and he was top-notch throughout.
Wide receivers
Grade: 5
As a group, they're going to have to fight to get open more in the red zone, but for a group that has been banged up the last several weeks, it was a decent start. Marquess Wilson and Alshon Jeffery were both solid blocking on the perimeter in the run game.
Tight ends
Grade: 6
Newcomer Khari Lee was thrown right in with 11 snaps, and Zach Miller also had 11 as Gase went with some heavy formations to run the ball. It worked.
Defensive line
Grade: 3
The Packers' heavy reliance on three-receiver sets put the Bears in nickel coverage for nearly the entire game, so we hardly saw glimpses of Vic Fangio's base 3-4 defense. There was some good penetration by Will Sutton. Jarvis Jenkins flashed just a little. Not enough disruption though.
Linebackers
Grade: 3
The pass rush didn't get a lot done sending four, but Aaron Rodgers was lethal against pressure, hitting easy throws to Randall Cobb in the flat against six-man rushes and going 3-for-3 for 40 yards and a touchdown against five-man rushes. Jared Allen played on 43 of the 60 defensive snaps and struggled with tackle David Bakhtiari, although he drew a hold. Pernell McPhee didn't show up enough. Christian Jones and Shea McClellin had a tough time inside against running back Eddie Lacy, especially on first contact.
Cornerbacks
Grade: 4
Alan Ball didn't get his head turned around on James Jones' 13-yard touchdown and was beaten badly to the inside on the 1-yard touchdown. He wasn't as physical as advertised. A double move set Kyle Fuller up for a bad pass-interference call.
Safeties
Grade: 4
Fangio had Antrel Rolle and Adrian Amos lined up pretty deep, likely to guard against the big play. They showed up a little in run support against Lacy, but you didn't see them around balls in the air.
Special teams
Grade: 5
It was a strong start for Robbie Gould with three field goals, but in good weather he needs to bang touchbacks and the coverage team must be better.
bmbiggs@tribpub.com
